κατηχ-έω G2727
To instruct orally, catechize; to inform or report — the root behind English 'catechism'
The verb κατηχέω originally meant to sound from above or resound, but by the first century it had settled into two distinct uses: systematic oral instruction and the passing along of information. In Luke 1:4, Luke writes so that Theophilus may know the certainty of the things in which he was 'catechized,' and in Gal 6:6 the one being 'taught' shares with the one teaching. The word gave English 'catechism,' 'catechesis,' and 'catechize,' preserving the sense of methodical religious instruction. A narrower use in Acts 21 means simply to be informed or told about something.
Senses
1. instruct, teach (in the faith) — To give oral, systematic instruction in religious truth or doctrine — the classic catechetical sense. This is the dominant NT use (6 of 8 occurrences), visible in Luke 1:4 where Theophilus was 'instructed' in the faith, Acts 18:25 where Apollos had been 'taught' the way of the Lord, and Gal 6:6 where the 'one being taught' shares with the instructor. Multilingual glosses confirm the pedagogical meaning: Spanish 'instruido/instruya,' German 'unterweisen,' and French 'instruire' all point to formal teaching rather than casual communication. Paul's statement in 1 Cor 14:19 — preferring five words of instruction to ten thousand in tongues — underscores the deliberate, comprehensible character of this teaching. 6×
AR["أُعَلِّمَ", "المُتَعَلِّمُ", "المُعَلِّمَ", "تَعَلَّمْتَهَا", "مُتَعَلِّمًا", "مُعَلَّماً"]·ben["তুমি-শিক্ষা-পেয়েছ", "শিক্ষকের,", "শিক্ষা-দিই,", "শিক্ষাপ্রাপ্ত", "শিক্ষার্থী"]·DE["unterweisen", "κατηχήθης", "κατηχημένος"]·EN["I-may-instruct", "being-instructed", "being-taught", "having-been-instructed", "teaching", "you-were-instructed"]·FR["instruire"]·heb["אוֹרֶה", "לֻמַּדְתָּ", "מְלַמֵּד,", "מְלֻמָּד"]·HI["सिखअने-वले,", "सिखने-वल", "सिखाऊँ", "सिखाया-गया", "सिखाया-हुआ"]·ID["aku-mengajar,", "diajar", "engkau-telah-diajarkan", "yang-diajar", "yang-mengajar"]·IT["istruire", "katechethes", "katēchoumenos", "katēchounti"]·jav["dipunwulang", "kawèdanan", "kula-wuruki", "mulang,", "sampun-dipun-wucalaken,"]·KO["가르치기", "가르치는-자와,", "가르침-받은", "가르침을-받는-자가", "배우는-자라", "배운-자로서"]·PT["foste-instruído", "instrua,", "sendo-instruído"]·RU["был-наставлен", "наставить", "наставлен", "наставляемый", "наставляющим", "наученный"]·ES["fuiste-instruido", "instruido", "instruya", "instruyendo", "siendo-instruido"]·SW["amefundishwa", "anayefundishwa", "anayemfundisha", "niwafundishe", "ukifundishwa", "umefundishwa"]·TR["eğiteyim", "oegretilen", "öğretenle", "öğretildin", "öğretilen", "öğretilmiş"]·urd["سکھاؤں", "سکھائی-گئیں", "سکھانے-والے", "سکھایا-جانے-والا", "سکھایا-ہوا"]
2. inform, report to (passive: be told about) — To inform, report to, or pass along information — in the passive, to be told about something. This sense appears exclusively in Acts 21:21 and 21:24, where Jewish believers in Jerusalem 'have been informed' that Paul teaches Jews among the Gentiles to forsake Moses. The multilingual evidence is telling: Spanish shifts from 'instruido' (sense 1) to 'han sido informados,' and English from 'instructed' to 'they have been informed,' marking a clear boundary between structured teaching and the relay of secondhand reports. The passive voice is characteristic of this sense, emphasizing the recipients of news rather than a teacher-student relationship. 2×
AR["أُخْبِرُوا", "وَأُخْبِرُوا"]·ben["তাঁদের-শেখানো-হয়েছে", "তাদের-শেখানো-হয়েছে"]·DE["κατήχηνται", "κατηχήθησαν"]·EN["they-have-been-informed", "they-were-informed"]·FR["instruire"]·heb["שָׁמְעוּ-עָלֶיךָ"]·HI["सिखाए-गए-हैं"]·ID["diberitahu", "diberitahukan"]·IT["istruire"]·jav["sampun-dipun-wartosi", "sampun-dipun-wartosi,"]·KO["들었다", "들은-것이"]·PT["foram-informados", "foram-informados,"]·RU["услышали,", "услышали-же"]·ES["Han-sido-informados", "han-sido-informados"]·SW["wameambiwa"]·TR["haber-verildi", "haber-verilen"]·urd["سُنایا-گیا-ہے"]
Related Senses
H0559 1. say, speak, tell (5297×)G3004 1. say, tell, speak (2226×)H1696 1. speak, say, tell (Piel) (1105×)H7121 1. call, summon, name (575×)H6680 1. command, order, charge (483×)H6030b 1. answer, respond, reply (289×)G2980 1. speak, talk (277×)H5046 1. Hifil: to tell, report (237×)G0611 1. answer or respond verbally (232×)H1288 1. Piel: bless, invoke blessing (227×)H7650 1. swear, take an oath (Niphal) (154×)H3789 1. Qal passive participle: written, recorded (112×)H1984b 1. praise, laud (Piel) (111×)H7592 1. ask, inquire, question (96×)H3034 1. give thanks, praise (Hifil) (94×)G1321 1. teach, instruct actively (92×)H3789 2. Qal active: write, compose (89×)G1125 1. to write, compose (a letter or document) (84×)H5046 2. Hifil: to declare, proclaim (79×)H7892a 1. song, musical composition (78×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
κατηχ-έω, sound over or through, ἁρμονία κ. τῆς θαλάττης Refs 2nd c.AD+ __2 sound amiss, opposed to συνηχέω, Refs 1st c.BC+ __II teach by word of mouth: hence generally, instruct, κ. τινὰ πολλὰ τῶν ἀγνοουμένων Agrippa 11 cited in Refs 1st c.AD+:—passive, to be informed or instructed, περί τινος NT; κ. ὅτι.. Refs 1st c.AD+ __II.2 in NT, instruct in the elements of religion, NT:—passive, περὶ ὧν κατηχήθης λόγων NT+3rd c.AD+